Lollipop the sweetest OS in candy shop
There are two things we want to talk about: Android 5.0 Lollipop and the first hardware that ships with it, the Nexus 9.
To set us high balling, the Android 5.0 Lollipop is simply, revolutionary. It has a plethora of features, performance improvements, and takes on the biggest changes in design.
The Lollipop uses a new UI called the Material Design. This gives vibrant colors and a lot of animations within the UI. Animations like app folders pop open like a piece of folded paper, or the “gear” Settings icon turn as users drag the notifications up or down. Also, as the app opens, the screen doesn’t just switch toward the app. Instead, the app unravels, like a pop art, and gives users, in what Google believes, a smoother transition. The icons for the back, home, and menu buttons have all been changed to blend in with the Material Design backdrop.
Users receive notifications from the lock screen in small dialogue boxes that doesn’t take up the entire screen space. Double tap on the box and it will take you straight to the app. The notifications bar itself has been revamped to be smaller, and doesn’t take the entire screen space. The following features can be accessed via “Settings.”
The Lollipop treats
Selective Interruptions is now possible with Lollipop. Users can sort out their contacts by which ones get to reach them, and which ones to hit a brick wall.
Priority app makes a scene here. Users will be able to select which apps appear in the notifications bar. We liked this because users get the option to block apps notifications, and receive only those deemed important (like Facebook!).
If you’re an owner of a Chromecast, you can use it to receive images from the Lollipop device by dragging down the notifications and tapping on the Cast screen.
Double-tap makes a return to wake the device up. Although that is hardly new, we welcome its inclusion to the Lollipop.
Finally, a big surprise is the Lollipop game app. It took a while until someone discovered this little bugger. This can be accessed by hitting Settings, About Tablet, and keep on tapping the Android Version until a lollipop appears, long press that and you’re off to a world of pain.
However, there are a few issues we discovered. There were times when some apps take time to load, and we’re talking about more than three seconds. Sometimes the app won’t work, back and menu buttons are “stuck” and doesn’t do anything. The only thing that did something was the home button, and we had to press it at least twice before we’re taken back to the home screen. This, however, only happened a few times.
Nexus 9
Now, let’s breeze over the Nexus 9. As seen in the picture, it features a well-rounded specs sheet. It’s beautiful, but holding it doesn’t feel “premium”, from the lack of an aluminum built and glossiness. Nonetheless, it’s something you can walk down the street with pride.
Audio is loud because of HTC’s design of frontal speakers. Crank the volume all the way up, and audio slightly distorts – you’ll only hear it if it’s a big deal. Battery sports a little over 6,000, which seems kind of low, but Lollipop has been designed to run with a neat power savings mode to keep the tablet treat flowing.
What we didn’t like is the back camera. It protrudes just a little bit to one side, ruining the entire tablet’s ergonomics. Put the Nexus 9 down the wrong way, and we get this jarring feeling that some rough surface will damage it. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case.
The Nexus 9’s specs make it a surefooted device. But it is the early treat of the Android 5.0 Lollipop that gives the sweetest treat of all.
MB Tech News has satisfied its sweet tooth for the latest treats in mobile devices. So we went shopping in the candy shop and got the new Nexus 9, sporting the deliciously revolutionary Android Lollipop operating system. What can we say, Lollipop looks and tastes better than Android KitKat.